Women who regularly engage in strength training can improve their health, develop high self esteem, reduce their risk of osteoporosis or other degenerative diseases, and enhance their athletic ability. Just as men can reap substantial benefits from strength training, women are very capable of tolerating and adapting to regular resistance training in their workout regiments.
Body Size and Composition
Boys and girls are essentially the same in terms of height, weight and body size before puberty. However, as puberty begins and progresses, the production of estrogen in girls increases fat deposition and breast development, whereas boys experience increases in bone and muscle formation due to testosterone. As a result, adult men tend to achieve greater stature than women. Adult women tend to have more body fat and less muscle mass, in addition to being lighter in total body weight.
Female Strength and Muscle Quality
When speaking in terms of absolute strength, it is obvious that men will generally be stronger than women due to the greater amount of muscle they possess. In fact, an average women usually possesses about two-thirds the strength of a man. However, when discussing strength in relative terms, strength relative to body weight, no differences exist between the sexes. This indicates that muscle quality is not sex-specific.
Resistance Training for Women
Resistance exercise for women results in favorable changes in health and fitness. Due to the fact that no difference in muscle quality exist between the sexes, there is no reason why a female resistance training program needs to be different than one for a man. The only real difference between training programs for men and women is generally the amount of resistance used for a given exercise. Programs should be well-rounded and focus on either strengthening the total body or emphasizing those areas necessary for improvement in sports or activities of daily living.
It is a misconception that women will become "bulky" or lose flexibility if they train with weights. Women do not have substantial amounts of testosterone, which is necessary for the development of a large amount of muscle mass.
Resistance Exercise Prescription
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you should perform a minimum of eight to 10 separate exercises that train the major muscles of the hips, thigh, legs, back, chest, shoulders, arms and abdomen. When first starting a resistance program, keep your repetitions high, 12 to 20, and the weight relatively light. As you progress and become stronger, you can gradually increase the weight.
Allow yourself ample recovery time between sessions. Resistance training for two or three non-consecutive days a week is a good frequency for beginners. If possible, exercise with a training partner who can provide motivation and feedback.
Program Design Considerations
Since the upper body strength of a women tends to be less than that of a man, it is important to emphasize development of the upper body, especially when training for sports that require such strength. The addition of one or two additional upper body exercises or one or two extra sets may be beneficial.
Another area of concern is that of injury prevention. Women's knees are particularly vunerable to injury. This could be due to joint laxity, limb alignment, ligament size, hormonal changes or muscular strength. Increasing the amount of physical activity and participating in a regular and progressive strength training program can prevent such injuries by strengthening the joint and its associated musculature and connective tissues.
References
- Essentials of Strength and Conditioning; Baechle & Earle; Human Kinetics 2000
- ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription; Lawrence Armstrong, Ph.D, et. al; 2006 American College of Sports Medicine.
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